7 he  Normal 
School  Quarterly 


Series  8 


January,  I9S0 


Humber  3 4 


HOME  ECONOMICS 


■ int 


i ~-v$s\ 


i: 


HOUSEHOLD  SCIENCE 

By  CARRIE  ALBERTA  LYFdRD 
Director  of  Household  Science,  Illinois  State  Normal  University 


II 


HOUSEHOLD  ART 

By  HELEN  BRYCE  BROOKS 
Director  of  Household  Art,  Illinois  State  Normal  University 


Enterd  August  18,  1902,  at  Normal,  Illinois,  as  second-class  matter 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  July  16,  1894 

PUBLISHT  BY  THE  ILLINOIS  STATE 
NORMAL  UNIVERSITY,  NORMAL,  ILLINOIS 


NORMAL  SCHOOL  QUARTERLY 


Publisht 

by  the  Illinois  State  formal  University , 

Aformal,  Illinois 

Series  8 

January,  1910 

^lumber  34 

HOUSEHOLD  SCIENCE 

HOUSEHOLD  SCIENCE  DEFINED 

The  terms  “home  economics,”  “domestic  science  and 
arts,”  “household  science,”  and  “household  art”  are  all  used 
interchangeably  to  designate  a study  of  the  home  and  its 
conduct.  The  subjects  studied  may  be  clast  under  the  three 
general  heds,  food,  shelter,  and  clothing.  For  convenience 
in  classification  of  subject-matter,  and  to  make  specialization 
possible  to  teacher  and  student  home  economics  is  usually  di- 
vided into  two  branches  termd  “household  science,”  and 
“household  art.”  Household  science  deals  with  all  those 
phases  of  the  subject  most  closely  interwoven  with  the  sci- 
ences— the  study  of  the  home,  its  formation,  sanitation  and 
administration,  and  the  study  of  human  nutrition,  of  foods 
and  their  preparation. 

DEVELOPMENT  OF  HOME  ECONOMICS 

The  home  has  come  down  to  us  thru  the  centuries  en- 
velopt  in  sacred  sentiment,  burdend  with  primitiv  traditions. 
The  study  of  the  home  as  a factor  in  human  history  is  a de- 
velopment of  modern  times  made  possible  by  the  advance  in 
the  sciences,  and  made  necessary  by  the  radical  changes  in 
economic  conditions.  The  home  and  its  significance  have 
assumed  a wider  interest  and  demand  a deeper  study  than 
has  ever  been  the  case  in  the  past.  We  are  no  longer  con- 
tent to  entrust  the  various  phases  of  household  industry  to 

The  spellings  recommended  by  the  Simplified  Spelling  Board  are  used  in  the  pub- 
lications of  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University. 


2 


Normal  School  Quarterly 

unskild  hands  when  we  realize  that  the  processes  involvd  in 
the  preparation  of  foods  produce  chemical  changes  which 
may  render  them  of  no  value  or  even  of  real  harm  to  the 
body.  We  are  no  longer  content  to  expose  our  bodies  to  the 
various  diseases  which  we  know  may  lurk  in  dust  and  dirt. 
The  waste  in  human  efficiency,  the  instability  of  social  con- 
ditions, and  the  lack  of  beauty  in  our  daily  lives  can  not 
longer  be  regarded  with  equanimity  by  any  intelligent  stu- 
dent of  life.  Laws  may  be  enacted,  organizations  may  be 
formd,  societies  may  give  the  help  of  their  united  action  but 
every  effort  to  improve  public  helth  and  social  life  will  be 
vain  unless  the  individual  homes  of  the  country  are  given 
study,  and  unless  the  housekeepers  of  the  present  and  the 
future  are  educated  in  a more  than  superficial  way  in  the 
science  and  art  of  housekeeping  and  home- making. 

Home  economics  means  more  than  an  application  of 
science  and  art  to  secure  certain  desired  results  in  the 
preparation  of  wholesome,  palatable  foods,  and  in  the  selec- 
tion of  artistic  articles  of  dress  and  furniture;  for  the  home 
must  always  be  regarded  as  a social  unit  and  the  expendi- 
ture of  energy,  material,  time  and  money  must  all  be  taken 
into  consideration  in  any  study  of  its  activities.  Likewise 
the  home  is  the  place  where  the  individual  is  given  such 
physical,  intellectual  and  ethical  training  that  he  is  made  an 
efficient  human  being.  Therefore  the  economics  of  home 
consumption,  the  place  of  the  home  in  the  social  order  and 
the  intellectual  and  spiritual  influences  of  the  home  are  all 
included  in  a study  of  home  economics. 

CONDITION  OF  THE  HOME — PAST  AND  PRESENT 

Time  was  when  the  home  ment  merely  a place  of  safety 
and  protection.  Later  it  became  the  place  for  rearing  and 
educating  the  young.  In  time  all  the  industries  involvd 
in  the  preparation  of  food  and  clothing  were  carried  on 
under  the  home  roof,  and  the  home  became  the  center  of 
a busy  industrial  life.  During  the  past  century  these  indus- 
tries of  the  home  have  been  removed  one  by  one  from  the 
hands  of  women  until  little  remains  to  be  done  in  the  home 


Home  Economics 


3 


but  cooking  and  cleaning  and  the  rearing  of  the  young. 
That  the  two  former  tasks  may  not  eventually  be  almost  ex- 
clusivly  performd  by  co  operativ  kitchens,  steam  laundries 
and  public  vacuum  cleaners,  who  can  be  quite  sure?  That 
the  rearing  of  children  is  being  more  carefully  and  success- 
fully done  than  when,  before  the  advent  of  the  factory  sys- 
tem, the  home  was  the  center  of  production,  who  would  dare 
to  assert?  Any  dout  we  may  feel  arises  not  because  there 
is  no  longer  time  for  the  rearing  of  children  in  the  home 
(the  domestic  duties  of  the  housekeeper  are  constantly  grow- 
ing less),  but  because  the  home  has  ceast  to  demand  the  ac- 
tiv  co-operation  of  the  child  in  productiv  industries,  and  so, 
all  too  frequently,  fails  to  give  him  any  preparation  for  the 
real  work  of  life.  This  condition  exists  for  the  reason  that 
up  to  the  present  the  home  has  faild  to  adjust  itself  com- 
pletely to  the  changed  economic  conditions,  the  specific  work 
which  remains  to  be  done  by  the  home  has  not  been  clearly 
defined  and  housekeepers  have  not  been  educated  to  realize 
their  importance  as  economic  factors  or  to  recognise  the 
force  of  the  home  as  a social  factor. 

Great  as  have  been  the  changes  produced  in  social  life 
by  the  advent  of  the  factory  system  and  the  development  of 
the  industrial  era,  the  effect  of  these  changes  has  been  no 
where  so  markt  as  on  the  lives  of  women.  As  the  labors  of 
the  home  diminisht  women  found  it  necessary  to  look  out- 
side the  home  for  employment  and  support.  The  big  busi- 
ness concerns  needed  workers  and  afforded  the  great  attrac- 
tions of  novelty  and  social  intercourse,  so  that  women  in  need 
of  work  flockt  to  the  factories  and  became  more  and  more 
removed  from  the  home  and  its  training.  Gradually,  too, 
the  younger  women  and  girls  became  absorbd  by  the  factory 
system  so  that  even  in  the  earliest  years  the  home  influences 
became  lost  to  them  and  no  knowledge  of  housekeeping  was 
obtaind  nor  was  such  knowledge  felt  to  be  of  vital  import- 
ance. 

About  the  same  time  that  these  economic  changes  were 
coming  to  pass  gradual  changes  in  public  opinion  opend  the 


4 Normal  School  Quarterly 

higher  institutions  of  learning  to  women  and  another  class 
of  girls  welcomd  this  as  an  escape  from  the  uninteresting 
monotony  of  home  life,  where  productiv  industries  were  no 
longer  carried  on  and  where,  as  yet,  no  new  interests  had 
been  created.  Since  at  first  the  institutions  admitting  women 
made  but  slight  changes  in  their  curriculums  the  higher  ed- 
ucation of  women  faild  to  develop  that  knowledge  of  the 
home  as  a social  factor  or  as  the  center  of  a large  number  of 
scientific  phenomena  which  would  render  it  one  of  the  world’s 
most  interesting  laboratories  for  study  and  investigation. 
Thus  the  home  was  left  to  the  care  of  the  wives  and  mothers 
whose  duties  were  centerd  there  and  on  the  one  hand  they 
were  deprived  of  the  support  of  those  whose  labors,  if  wisely 
directed,  would  have  materially  diminisht  the  work  of  house- 
keeping; on  the  other  hand  they  were  unaided  by  those 
women  whose  education  should  have  helpt  to  develop  the 
science  of  the  home. 

It  is  scarcely  surprising  that  the  movement  swung  to 
the  extreme,  for  social  movements  usually  do;  that  women 
gradually  began  to  think  of  housekeeping  with  distaste,  if 
not  aversion;  and  that  housekeeping  finally  became  all  but  a 
lost  art.  The  work  which  was  performed  by  untraind  foren 
servants  and  directed  by  women  who  had  not  been  fitted  for 
their  positions  as  housekeepers  either  by  training  or  by  edu- 
cation came  to  take  low  rank  among  the  world’s  industries. 
The  ability  of  women  and  the  value  of  woman’s  work  in  the 
world  became  a matter  of  question  and  concern. 

WOMAN’S  SPECIAL  CALLING — HOME-MAKING:  SPECIAL 
PREPARATION  NEEDED 

What  is  the  woman’s  calling?  Home-making  shall  we 
say?  Yes,  we  must  agree  that  home-making  is  woman’s  spe- 
cial calling,  but  we  must  not  limit  women’s  sphere  to  home- 
making in  its  technical  sense  for  women  have  shown  them- 
selves fitted  for  various  trades  and  professions,  in  many  of 
which  they  equal,  in  some  of  which  they  excel  men.  Still 
in  the  last  analysis,  whatever  the  calling  of  the  individual 
woman  may  be,  at  some  period  if  not  at  every  period  of  her 


A View  of  the  Kitchen 


6 


Normal  School  Quarterly 

life,  she  feels  it  necessary  to  make  a home  for  herself  or  for 
others  who  are  dependent  upon  her. 

It  is  beginning  to  be  universally  felt  that  just  as  boys 
must  study  the  forces  of  nature,  the  laws  of  the  country  and 
general  economic  conditions  so  all  girls  must  receive  some 
special  instruction  in  those  studies  which  pertain  more 
clearly  to  the  home.  The  young  girl  who  is  to  be  the  home- 
maker of  the  future,  the  young  girl  who  is  to  engage  in  in- 
dustrial occupations  in  the  homes  of  others  and  the  young 
girl  who  is  to  follow  some  professional  calling  will  all  be 
better  prepared  for  the  future  if  some  study  is  made  of  home 
economics  during  her  early  life. 

There  are  certain  general  facts  in  regard  to  the  world’s 
work  of  which  every  man  should  have  a knowledge  whatever 
his  profession;  in  like  manner  there  are  many  laws  of  house- 
hold science  with  which  every  woman  should  be  familar,  and 
a woman’s  ignorance  of  household  matters  should  be  regarded 
in  just  as  grave  a light  as  the  ignorance  of  a man  entering 
upon  a business  career  who  has  not  the  knowledge  of  the 
simplest  laws  of  the  business  world.  Nor  should  this  be 
regarded  merely  as  a trite  truism.  Life  is  a sacred  thing 
and  the  home  which  guards  that  life  is  worthy  of  deepest 
study.  And  yet  compare  our  attitude  toward  a man  who 
enters  a business  offis  with  no  preparatory  training  and  the 
young  woman  who  voluntarily  undertakes  the  responsibili- 
ties of  matrimony  lacking  all  knowledge  of  housekeeping 
and  home-making.  The  young  man’s  ignorance  may  make 
short  work  of  his  business  career,  but  the  young  woman  is 
allowd  to  assume  duties  still  more  grave  for  which  she  is 
utterly  unprepared  and  the  weight  of  which  she  regards  but 
lightly. 

The  sickness  and  deth  which  result  in  the  household 
from  lack  of  education  on  the  part  of  the  housekeeper  are 
still  almost  universally  regarded  in  the  most  godless  com- 
munities as  ‘Visitations  of  Providence”  and  the  response 
which  our  educational  systems  is  making  to  the  plea  for  hy- 
gienic living  is  but  slowly  adjusting  itself.  Alredy  na- 


Home  Economics 


7 


tional  laws  are  being  enacted  as  safeguards  against  disease 
and  deth.  Are  individual  homes  making  a like  effort  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  hour,  are  they  being  establisht  with 
careful  observance  of  sanitary  laws  and  being  conducted  on 
scientific  principles?  Housekeepers  who  have  become 
aware  of  the  demands  of  the  situation  and  who  have  the 
leisure  are  making  a study  of  many  of  the  conditions  with 
which  they  meet  but  the  movement  is  still  far  from  being  a 
universal  one  and  the  need  for  concentrated  action  has  de- 
volvd  upon  the  schools  where  it  has  been  met  most  wisely. 

RELATION  OF  THE  SCHOOLS  TO  THE  HOME 
ECONOMICS  MOVEMENT 

As  in  all  the  elementary  studies  the  schools  are  felt  to 
be  a necessary  adjunct  to  the  mother  in  the  education  of  her 
children,  so  in  the  study  of  home  economics  the  schools  are 
able  thru  their  scientific  study  of  the  home  and  careful  cor- 
relation with  other  subjects  to  accomplish  far  more  than  can 
be  accomplisht  in  the  individual  homes.  At  the  present  time 
this  is  felt  to  be  particularly  true  because  few  mothers  of 
this  .age  have  had  any  scientific  preparation  for  housekeep- 
ing or  have  made  a study  of  the  economic  condition  of  the 
home.  That  the  mother  is  the  child’s  best  teacher  may  be 
true  in  the  study  of  home  economics  as  of  other  subjects, 
but  that  the  mother  should  be  the  child’s  only  teacher  would 
almost  surely  offer  to  progress  the  same  barrier  from  which 
the  home  has  too  long  suffered.  Has  the  home  developt 
with  the  same  rate  of  progress  that  other  social  institutions 
have  developt?  Compare  our  finely  equipt  schools  with  the 
homes  of  their  patrons.  In  the  former  are  all  the  conveniences 
that  science  has  made  possible;  in  the  latter  the  kitchen,  or 
workshop,  is  often  dark  and  inconvenient  and  but  poorly 
equipt  with  those  devices  which  lighten  labor  and  make  pos- 
sible accurate  results.  National  bureaus  have  been  establisht 
in  order  to  make  a study  of  foods,  questions  of  hygiene,  and 
human  nutrition.  The  relation  of  this  work  to  stock-raising 
and  commercial  branches  has  long  been  felt,  but  that  it  may 
have  an  equal  bearing  on  human  life  is  still  a matter  of  surprise 


8 


Normal  School  Quarterly 

as  evinced  by  the  farmer’s  exprest  astonishment  in  the  query, 
‘‘The  feeding  of  our  children  is  of  almost  as  great  importance 
as  the  feeding  of  our  stock,  is  it  not?”  Yes,  there  is  no  one 
factor  more  vital  to  perfect  human  development  than  that  of 
food,  and  when  we  come  to  realize  that  the  heltby  human  be- 
ing is  not  only  a happier,  more  efficient  person  but  also  worth 
more  in  money  value  both  to  himself  and  the  nation  we  ap- 
preciate the  importance  of  the  work  that  rests  in  the  house- 
keeper’s hands.  Intemperance,  contagion,  sickness  and  deth 
can  be  vastly  diminisht  when  our  home  life  becomes  all  that 
science  can  make  it,  and  life  itself  will  progressivly  attain 
its  highest  achievements. 

The  proverbial  conservatism  of  woman  has  always  tended 
to  delay  progress  in  the  home.  Lack  of  competition  and  a 
failure  to  tabulate  and  compare  results  have  been  other 
factors  which  have  prevented  a progress  in  the  home  that 
was  proportionate  to  the  progress  in  the  nation.  In  the 
study  of  home  economics  in  the  school  the  child  will  not 
meet  with  these  conditions  as  in  the  home.  Contact  with 
others  interested  in  the  problems  of  home  life,  the  relation 
of  the  home  to  the  sciences,  to  history,  economics  and  lit- 
erature, the  opportunity  to  compare  results,  the  necessity 
for  definit  statement  of  conditions  and  the  stimulus  given  by 
competition  in  school  work  will  interest  the  child  and  give 
the  study  a value  that  could  never  be  derived  under  the 
mother’s  unaided  instruction  in  the  home. 

VALUE  OF  EDUCATION  AND  TRAINING  IN  HOME 
ECONOMICS  TO  TEACHERS 

The  study  of  home  economics  should  not  be  restricted 
to  the  future  wife  and  mother  but  should  form  a part,  how- 
ever meager,  of  the  education  of  every  girl  and  boy.  The 
laws  of  personal  and  public  hygiene,  the  questions  of  pure 
foods  and  food  adulterations,  market  prices  and  conditions, 
and  the  economic  relation  of  the  members  of  the  family 
should  at  some  time  have  a place  in  the  curriculum  of  every 
school.  The  elementary  schools  alone  reach  all  the  boys 
and  girls  of  the  country,  hence  the  great  responsibility  of 


Plate  II.  A Corner  of  the  Dining  Room 


fill 


10  Normal  School  Quarterly 

elementary  teachers  in  this  regard.  Special  teachers  of 
such  branches  are  often  not  available  and  even  were  they  to 
be  had  it  is  not  always  desirable  that  home  economics  be 
taught  as  a separate  subject;  time  and  material  are  too  often 
lacking  to  make  that  feasible.  The  best  method  is  to  relate, 
as  closely  as  possible,  the  various  subjects  in  the  school 
course  to  questions  of  the  home,  and  thus  to  develop  the 
child’s  interest  and  broaden  his  knowledge  at  the  same  time. 
The  problems  in  arithmetic  can  be  made  to  have  some  direct 
bearing  on  household  expenditures,  the  work  in  botany  may 
lead  on  to  vegetable  gardening,  and  history  may  be  made 
more  interesting  as  one  contrasts  the  homes  of  the  past  with 
those  of  the  present.  Therefore  it  becomes  almost  imperativ 
that  the  teacher  in  the  elementary  schools  have  some  special 
training  in  home  economics  in  connection  with  her  normal- 
school  training.  It  will  not  be  necessary  for  her  to  have  ac- 
quired the  knowledge  that  might  enable  her  to  plan  a home 
with  an  architect’s  precision,  to  execute  an  elaborate  system 
of  book-keeping  or  to  be  verst  in  all  the  art  and  science  of 
cookery;  but  her  training  should  be  sufficient  to  enable  her 
to  understand  the  sanitary  conditions  of  the  home,  to  make 
a wise  division  of  the  income,  and  to  choose  the  proper  com- 
binations of  food  for  a family.  The  first  two  or  three  courses 
in  household  science  as  outlined  below  might  thus  be  added 
with  greatest  profit  to  the  general  preparation  required  of 
the  elementary  teacher  for  at  every  step  in  her  work — in 
nature  study,  in  physiology,  and  in  various  other  branches — 
such  knowledge  would  prove  of  value,  and  the  worth  of  the 
teacher  to  the  community  would  be  vastly  enhanced.  Thus 
many  who  are  far  removed  from  special  teachers  and  tech- 
nical schools  would  feel  the  influence  of  the  home  economics 
movement  and  the  benefit  of  the  work  given  at  the  normal 
schools  would  be  manifold.  Therefore  the  courses  in  house- 
hold science  are  so  pland  that  they  will  be  of  value  to  the 
grade  teachers  as  well  as  the  special  teacher,  hoping  that 
thereby  they  may  reach  all  the  homes  of  the  state  and  that 
to  the  children  of  every  school  some  helpful  knowledge  of 
home-making  will  be  given. 


Home  Economics  11 

GRADES  IN  WHICH  HOME  ECONOMICS  SHOULD  BE  TAUGHT 

At  what  period  of  school  life  the  work  may  be  under 
taken  in  order  to  secure  the  best  results  is  a question  which 
admits  of  much  discussion.  There  are  undoutedly  some 
phases  of  home  economics  which  can  be  presented  from  the 
earliest  grades  by  correlation  with  such  other  subjects  as 
nature  study,  geografy,  and  history.  The  plan  more  gener- 
ally adopted  is  to  begin  the  special  work  with  the  fifth  grade, 
for  the  children  of  that  age  are  beginning  to  have  the  desire 
to  be  of  servis  in  the  home  and  they  are  so  activ  physically 
that  work  attractivly  presented  does  not  seem  irksome  even 
tho  it  be  but  plain  cooking,  sweeping,  and  cleaning.  How- 
ever, at  this  early  age  children  do  not  appreciate  many  of 
the  points  relativ  to  the  chemical  composition  of  foods  and 
to  the  laws  of  sanitation;  so  the  study  of  household  science  is 
frequently  delayd  until  the  eighth  grade,  other  forms  of 
handwork  being  presented  prior  to  that  time.  The  girls 
in  the  eighth  grade  are  more  difficult  to  handle  but  their  inter 
est  when  secured  is  felt  to  be  producitv  of  greater  good;  for 
many  eighth- grade  girls  are  alredy  beginning  to  have  re- 
sponsibilities fall  upon  them  at  home  and  are  therefore  able 
at  once  to  apply  the  acquired  knowledge,  thus  making  the 
course  of  direct  value  to  the  home  and  the  community. 
In  some  districts  the  girls  are  beginning  to  drop  out  of  school 
just  before  the  high  school  is  reacht,  and  it  is  felt  that  the 
presentation  of  a subject  in  the  eighth  and  ninth  grades 
which  is  so  attractiv  as  cooking  may  be  a means  of  prolong- 
ing their  school  days. 

While  much  of  the  practical  work  in  the  study  of  home 
economics  can  well  be  presented  in  the  grades  the  ideal  time 
for  the  presentation  of  the  subjects  in  its  entirety  is  in  the 
high  school  or  in  the  college  and  normal-school  courses 
when  all  the  related  sciences  are  being  more  or  less  exhaust- 
ivly  studied  and  when  relations  can  be  more  intelligently 
graspt.  As  in  all  other  courses,  the  student  will  get  from  the 
work  just  what  she  puts  into  it;  and  the  mature  student  will 
find  the  work  of  far  broader  interest  and  deeper  profit  than 


12  Normal  School  Quarterly 

the  young  girl  whose  work  in  nature-study  has  not  yet  car- 
ried her  into  the  relms  of  chemistry.  On  the  other  hand  an 
early  familiarity  with  the  principles  of  cooking  and  clean- 
ing will  mean  much  in  developing  habits  of  personal  clenli- 
ness  and  usefulness  that  will  be  of  value  thru  life. 

COURSES  IN  HOUSEHOLD  SCIENCE  OFPERD  AT  THE 
ILLINOIS  STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY 

A brief  outline  of  the  courses  offerd  in  household  science 
at  the  Illinois  State  Normal  University  will  give  an  idea  of 
what  is  attempted  here.  The  six  courses  in  household  science 
offerd  are  distinctly  graded  steps. 

Course  I is  devoted  entirely  to  a study  of  foods  and 
the  principles  of  cookery.  The  study  of  foods  is  based  on  a 
knowledge  of  the  food  principles  which  is  made  thruout  the 
the  basis  of  the  work.  The  points  emphasized  in  connection 
with  the  food  principles  are  their  chemical  composition, 
physical  properties,  their  presence  and  function  in  the  hu- 
man body,  the  amount  required  in  order  to  produce  the  best 
results  in  nutrition,  the  sources  from  which  they  may  be 
obtaind,  the  processes  of  digestion  which  they  must  under- 
go in  the  body  and  the  changes  caused  by  the  various  pro- 
cesses of  cooking.  Having  obtaind  some  conception  of 
what  is  ment  by  the  classes  of  food  principles  the  student  next 
takes  up  the  study  of  special  foods  to  illustrate  each  class 
and  to  apply  at  once  the  theoretical  work  presented.  Every 
food  handld  is  studied  as  exhaustivly  as  possible  in  relation 
to  its  source  or  manner  of  growth,  the  method  of  its  prep- 
aration for  market,  handling  and  preservation  in  market, 
its  structure,  qualities,  cost  and  final  preparation  for  table. 
When  the  cooking  of  a food  is  presented,  the  purpose,  meth- 
ods, time  and  economy  are  all  discust,  the  method  of  serv- 
ing, garnishing,  accompaniments,  digestibility  and  nutritiv 
value.  This  course  is  applied  science  in  the  fullest  sense  of 
the  word.  The  growth  of  plant  and  animal  food;  the  pro- 
cess of  food  manufacture;  the  physical  changes  produced  by 
heat  and  by  other  processes  of  food  preparation;  the  chemi- 
cal changes  which  take  place  in  the  growth,  preservation, 
cooking  and  digestion  of  food;  the  bacteriological  changes 
to  which  foods  are  subject;  and  the  economic  conditions 
which  affect  market  prices  must  all  be  studied  that  the  work 
may  be  of  real  value.  At  the  same  time  the  laboratory  work 
is  a constant  drill  for  instiling  habits  of  methodical  work 
and  ideals  of  sanitary  clenliness  and  is  the  means  of  develop- 
ing skill  in  the  preparation  of  foods  for  the  table. 


Home  Economics 


13 


Course  II  is  a continuation  of  the  work  given  in  Course 
I with  a wider  application  of  principles  therein  laid  down. 
Opportunity  is  given  in  this  course  for  reference  readings 
which  acquaint  the  student  with  household  science  liter- 
ature and  make  possible  a determination  of  relativ  values. 
A portion  of  the  time  of  Course  II  is  given  to  the  study  of 
household  management  wherein  the  value  of  home  economics 
to  the  country  and  the  individual  is  discust  and  the  forma- 
tion, administration  and  maintenance  of  the  home  are  studied. 
This  includes  the  history  and  development  of  the  home, 
methods  of  keeping  household  accounts  and  regulating 
household  expenditures,  the  questions  of  domestic  servis, 
laundry  work,  and  household  hygiene. 

Course  III  is  the  next  step  in  advance  of  Course  II.  The 
combination  of  foods  and  planning  of  meals  is  especially  em- 
phasized, the  student’s  knowledge  of  processes  of  cooking 
and  skill  in  manipulation  having  been  previously  developt. 
The  work  in  household  management  in  Course  III  comprises 
lectures  and  practical  observation  in  marketing  by  visiting 
markets  and  manufacturing  plants.  The  quality,  price,  and 
use  of  food  stuffs  are  studied  and  pure  food  laws  and  require- 
ments are  considered. 

Course  IV  is  devoted  to  the  practical  lunch-room  work 
in  which  the  students  plan,  prepare  and  serv  lunches  in 
quantities  sufficiently  large  to  develop  greater  skill  and  better 
judgment  than  is  possible  earlier  in  the  course.  During  this 
course  the  students  will  be  given  practis  in  buying,  direct- 
ing, and  estimating  the  cost  of  meals  and  the  time  and  la- 
bor involvd  in  their  preparation. 

Course  V is  devoted  entirely  to  the  theoretical  work  in 
the  study  of  dietaries  and  the  establishment  of  the  balanced 
ration.  Lectures  are  given  in  home  nursing,  or  care  of  the 
sick,  the  development  of  the  home  economics  movement  and 
the  progress,  equipment,  and  needs  of  the  household. 

Course  VI  is  devoted  to  invalid  cooking,  advanced 
cooking,  with  formal  servis  and  demonstration  methods. 
This  last  branch  is  one  of  considerable  importance  in  the 
equipment  of  the  teacher  of  household  science,  but  its 
value  has  never  yet  been  given  the  recognition  in  this 
country  that  it  has  in  England  where  household  science  has 
undergone  development  along  different  lines.  The  needs  of 
many  localities  can  be  met  in  no  other  way  than  by  demon- 
stration work,  and  the  successful  teacher  must  be  mistress  of 
the  methods. 


HOUSEHOLD  ART 


HOUSEHOLD  ART  DEFINED 

Household  art  is  that  part  of  home  economics  that  has 
to  do  with  the  study  of  the  economica],  appropriate  and  ar- 
tistic furnishing  and  decoration  of  the  home;  also  the  com 
prehensiv  study  of  clothing,  its  purpose,  suitability  of  de- 
sign, color  and  materials. 

The  women  of  this  generation  have  been  accused  of  be- 
ing the  cause  of  all  of  the  atrocities  that  stock  the  market, 
both  in  regard  to  dress  and  house  furnishing:  whether  this 
is  true  or  not,  these  contradictions  to  good  line  and  color 
are  perpetrated  on  the  public,  and  it  is  the  aim  of  the  course 
in  household  art  to  prepare  the  girls  of  the  rising  genera- 
tion to  shun  all  articles  of  clothing  and  house  furnishing 
that  do  not  conform  to  the  rule,  ‘ ‘Everything  that  adorns 
the  person  or  home  should  be  simple  in  line  and  color  and 
appropriate  to  the  use  intended.” 

THE  STUDY  OF  TEXTILS 

There  was  a time,  about  a hundred  years  ago,  when  in 
every  home  a girl  could  learn  processes  of  textil  manufac- 
ture and  garment-making  in  companionship  with  her  mother. 
These  lessons  were  as  imperativ  as  the  three  r’s;  there  was 
no  question  as  to  the  value  of  such  training  nor  did  the  girl 
lose  caste  in  the  acquirement  of  such  an  education. 

So  long  as  the  home  was  the  center  and  seat  of  industry, 
the  girl  was  educated  there  not  only  in  the  technique  of  home 
economics  but  in  its  ethics.  She  acquired  the  habits,  sobri- 
ety, thoroness,  honesty,  devotion  to  the  good  of  home, 
church  and  community,  and  the  sense  of  responsibility  that 
made  her  a good  home-maker  as  well  as  a good  woman. 
She  had  opportunities  there  to  know,  to  do  and  to  be. 

In  the  present  industrial  system  we  find  the  home  robd 
of  many  of  its  earlier  functions  to  be  sure,  but  still  perpetuat- 

14 


Home  Economics 


15 


ingmany.  Its  relations  to  other  institutions  are  more  complex 
and  deeper  than  ever,  but  its  hold  on  the  sentiments  and  af- 
fections is  more  consciously  deep  and  firm  than  ever.  At 
the  same  time  that  the  application  of  science — physical, 
chemical,  and  biological — to  home  activities  is  becoming 
more  feasible,  the  dependence  of  the  home  on  large  activities 
is  becoming  deeper.  At  the  same  time  that  a house-wife 
must  know  more  about  chemistry  in  order  to  do  her  own 
work,  the  welfare  of  the  household  depends  more  than  ever 
on  the  condition  of  municipal  housekeeping,  on  the  purity  of 
foods,  and  the  soundness  of  materials. 

When  the  industries  were  in  the  home,  and  women  spun 
and  wove  their  own  materials,  they  knew  the  properties  and 
uses  of  the  textil  fibers  of  which  they  made  thred  and  cloth. 
By  this  natural  process  they  were  taught  to  judge  goods  and 
when  they  bought  materials,  could  tell  easily  by  what  they 
were  made. 

With  the  introduction  and  multiplication  of  machinery, 
run  at  greatly  diminisht  cost,  home  manufacturd  materials 
have  disappeard,  and  today  women  buy  machine-made  textil 
products  and  redy-made  garments. 

In  this  transition  from  home-made  to  factory-made  tex- 
tils  and  garments,  the  girl  has  lost  all  of  that  naturally  ac- 
quired technical  education  and  it  is  difficult  for  a young 
woman  to  get  even  the  most  meager  training  necessary  lor 
intelligent  buying  or  the  making  of  her  own  wearing  apparel. 

The  question  of  intelligent  buying  is  most  serious  when 
we  consider  that  it  is  the  women  who  are  the  great  consumers; 
they  are  the  ones  who  buy  the  output  of  the  enormous  cot- 
ton, woolen,  silk  and  linen  factories;  they  select  the  clothing 
for  the  family  and  supply  the  table  with  linen:  they  make 
home  restful  or  disquiting  by  their  selection  of  rugs,  hang- 
ings and  furniture. 

Since  the  textil  industries  are  especially  influenced  by 
women,  and  their  knowledge  or  ignorance  as  consumers  is  a 
controling  factor  in  the  nation’s  industrial  development;  and 
since  the  means  of  naturally  acquiring  an  adequate,  working 


16  Normal  School  Quarterly 

knowledge  of  the  properties  of  the  textils  have  been  removed 
from  the  girls,  what  should  be  done?  Since  it  is  of  such 
vital  importance,  the  schools  should  provide  to  give  the  girls 
a knowledge  of  the  physical  construction  of  the  textil  fibers 
and  their  properties,  so  that  she  can  judge  of  the  hygienic, 
warmth-giving  properties  and  have  a full  understanding  of 
the  processes  of  manufacture  so  that  she  may  be  able  to  pur- 
chase wisely. 

The  value  to  the  community  of  this  enrichment  of  the 
girls’  experience  would  lie  in  a solution  of  some  economic 
problems  that  confront  us  all  in  the  increast  cost  of  living. 

On  all  sides  we  hear  the  agitation  of  increast  cost  of 
living  and  woman’s  failure  to  meet  its  demands.  What  is 
being  done  to  remedy  the  trouble?  In  what  classes  do  we 
hear  discust  the  adjusting  of  standards  of  living  to  weekly 
incomes?  That  is  what  every  girl  who  passes  out  from  the 
schools  will  have  to  do  sooner  or  later,  and  where  is  she  to 
learn  it? 

The  ignorance  of  almost  every  purchaser  of  textils  has 
been  the  means  of  piling  up  fortunes  for  unscrupulous  manu- 
facturers. The  adulterations  of  textils  are  almost  as  astound- 
ing as  the  food  adulterations.  They  have  reach t such  per- 
fection that  even  the  expert  is  deceivd  and  needs  more  than 
his  strong  lens  to  detect  the  frauds. 

There  are  a few  simple  tests  that  any  one  can  use  that 
will  help  in  the  search  for  real  values.  A few  of  these  tests 
such  as  the  “fire  test”,  the  “water  test”,  and  the  “breaking 
test”  are  very  good  for  ordinary  use  and  need  no  knowledge 
of  chemistry  to  understand  and  can  be  given  advantageously 
to  the  girls  in  the  sixth  and  seventh  grades. 

The  problems  of  wise  purchase,  of  adjusting  standards 
of  living  to  weekly  incomes,  and  of  personal  responsibility 
in  the  family  and  business  life  must  be  solvd  by  the  con- 
scientious teacher  of  home  economics.  To  teach  household 
art  primarily  to  meet  personal  needs  regardless  of  economic 
and  esthetic  considerations  is  not  contemplated. 

To  be  of  worth,  a lesson  in  sewing,  dressmaking,  house- 
hold decoration  or  millinery  should  stimulate  thought,  train 


Plate  III.  Sewing  Class 


18  Normal  School  Quarterly 

judgment  and  taste  as  well  as  hands,  and  correlate  with  some 
of  the  pupils’  other  work — history,  art,  geografy,  economics, 
or  arithmetic. 

One  of  the  strongest  claims  of  home  economics  is  that 
it  welds  together  the  experience  gaind  in  other  studies. 
What  profit  would  household  science  be  without  chemistry, 
physics,  biology,  history,  arithmetic,  physiology  and  eco- 
nomics? and  household  art  without  chemistry,  history,  art, 
economics,  geografy  and  arithmetic?  In  their  application 
to  everyday  life,  those  studies  would  lose  none  of  their  sig- 
nificance, but  rather,  their  importance  in  solving  life’s  prob- 
lems would  be  more  redily  recognized  and  appreciated. 

Not  infrequently  is  the  remark  herd  during  a lesson  in 
textils,  “Oh!  I remember  reading  something  about  that 
when  I was  studying  history  or  geography  but  it  didn’t  mean 
much  to  me”;  or  during  a drafting  lesson,  “You  certainly 
do  have  to  know  your  arithmetic  in  order  to  draft  your  pat- 
terns”; or  when  a machine  or  gas  stove  is  obstreperous,  “I 
wish  I knew  my  physics  well  enough  to  fix  this.” 

It  is  in  this  desire  to  bring  about  the  union  of  all  the  ex- 
periences of  the  girl  and  make  her  school  work  so  inter- 
twined that  no  one  subject  stands  out  in  isolation  that  the 
industrial  training  finds  its  strongest  argument.  Let  the 
girl  see  that  her  work  in  the  industrial  department  is  the 
better  for  her  success  in  her  other  work — mathematics,  art, 
history,  etc.,  and  these  studies  will  take  on  a new  interest 
to  her. 


THE  TEACHER  OF  HOUSEHOLD  ART 

Now  if  industrial  training  demands  recognition  as  an 
integral  part  of  the  public  school  curriculum  the  question 
arises,  who  is  to  teach  it?  In  the  elementary  school,  the 
ideal  way  would  be  to  have  the  grade  teacher  assume  this 
responsibility.  She  understands  the  capacities  and  tempera- 
ments of  her  pupils  better  than  a special  teacher  who  comes 
in  for  a few  moments  once  or  twice  a week;  also  the  pupils 
are  accustomd  to  the  methods  of  the  regular  teacher.  Any 
subject  that  she  may  introduce  to  them  would  be  taken  quite 


Home  Economics 


19 


as  a matter  of  course,  and  her  opportunities  for  correlation 
are  better  than  those  of  the  special  teacher.  There  would 
be  time  and  energy  saved  by  such  an  arrangement. 

Of  course  with  the  crowded  curriculum  as  it  now  stands 
this  would  be  an  imposition  on  the  grade  teacher.  If  we  are 
to  introduce  industrial  training  into  the  schools,  it  will  profit 
very  little  to  be  pub  in  as  an  “extra”  and  taught  as  such. 

If  it  is  thought  advisable  to  relieve  the  alredy  over-taxt 
grade  teacher  by  having  special  teachers  for  the  industrial 
work,  well  and  good;  but  it  will  be  found  that  only  that  de- 
gree of  excellence,  which  is  desired,  will  be  seen  where  there 
is  concerted  action  and  sympathetic  interest  between  the 
grade  and  special  teacher — each  to  be  alert  to  and  under- 
stand fully  and  anticipate  the  needs  and  requirements  of  the 
other.  For  this  reason  a regular  normal- school  course  be- 
fore the  special  work  is  advisable.  So  whether  the  sewing 
be  taught  by  the  grade  teacher  or  special  teacher,  a full  un- 
derstanding of  the  grade  work  and  special  work  will  be  nec- 
essary for  the  one  who  does  it. 

In  the  secondary  schools  where  most  of  the  work  is  un- 
der special  teachers,  a special  teacher  of  domestic  art  is 
advisable. 

AN  IMPORTANT  FUNCTION  OF  NORMAL  SCHOOLS 

If  it  is  proposed  to  have  the  grade  teacher  give  the 
special  work,  and  admitted  that  she  can  not  get  adequate 
training  at  home  for  this  purpose,  how  is  she  to  get  it?  The 
normal  schools  that  train  her  for  the  other  work,  must  also 
train  her  for  this  equally  important  phase  of  her  work. 

If  the  subjects  designated  as  specials  are  taken  in  as  a 
part  of  the  public-school  curriculum,  they  thereby  lose  such 
appellation  and  should  be  treated  the  same  as  subjects  that 
have  held  undisputed  place  in  the  curriculum  for  the  past 
half  century. 

If  the  normal  school  is  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the 
school  question,  it  cannot  escape  the  responsibility  of  train- 
ing teachers  so  they  will  be  redy  for  full  service.  That 
teacher  is  professionally  and  socially  most  efficient  who  in 


20 


Normal  School  Quarterly 

his  training  actually  experiences  the  application  of  his  so- 
called  culture  studies  to  the  industries  and  the  economic 
problems  of  the  day.  How  better  can  this  be  accompli sht 
than  by  the  traind  teacher  who  loses  no  opportunity  of  show- 
ing the  bearing  of  all  education  on  a life  of  usefulness? 

The  normal  schools  are  recognized  as  institutions  in 
which  preparation  for  a public  career  takes  into  considera- 
tion the  actual  demand  that  is  made  on  the  teacher  who 
must  undertake  the  work  required  by  the  public  schools. 
Their  future  influence  as  well  as  their  usefulness  depends 
upon  their  adaptability  to  the  modern  movements  in  educa- 
tional thought  and  practis. 

With  the  universal  demand  for  industrial  education 
comes  the  demand  for  teachers  of  the  work  and  the  normal 
schools  are  the  best  agencies  for  training  special  as  well  as 
regular  teachers.  They  are  here  and  well  organized;  they 
possess  excellent  standards;  and  they  have  the  sympathy 
and  support  of  the  people. 

The  curriculum  of  each  normal  school  should  be  such  as 
will  fib  a teacher  for  work  in  his  state.  Whatever  the  edu- 
cational needs  in  the  varying  communities  are,  they  should 
find  their  solution  in  the  curriculum  of  the  state  normal 
schools  in  so  far  as  the  training  of  teachers  is  a factor  in 
such  solution. 


COURSES  IN  HOUSEHOLD  ART 

The  following  courses  in  household  art  are  given  in  the 
Illinois  State  Normal  University.  The  work  is  electiv  for 
all  who  wish  to  take  it;  the  entire  two-year  course  is  com- 
pulsory for  those  wishing  to  specialize  in  household  art. 

Course  I.  Hand  Sewing  for  Elementary  Schools. — In  this 
course  are  given  the  fundamental  principles  of  hand  sew- 
ing in  their  application  to  garments  of  interest  to  the  child. 

This  includes  weaving,  darning,  mending,  crocheting,  knit- 
ting, simple  garment  making  and  articles  for  use  in  the  home, 
such  as  towels,  bed  linen,  curtains,  table  runners,  pillow 
covers,  shoe  bags,  laundry  bags,  clothes  bags,  broom  bags, 
couch  covers,  etc.  In  connection  with  this  work  in  the 
study  of  textils,  the  history,  comparison  of  different  textils, 


Plate  IV.  Drafting  Class 


22  Normal  School  Quarterly 

adaptability  to  the  use  intended,  quality,  width  and  price 
of  textil  fabrics. 

With  the  garment  making  are  discust  such  topics  as 
cost  of  clothing  and  its  care,  economics  of  purchase,  judi- 
cious planning  and  cutting,  simplicity  of  style  and  color, 
appropriate  apparel  for  different  occasions,  beauty  of  neat- 
ness and  clenliness. 

Course  II.  Sewing  for  Secondary  Schools. — This  course 
includes  hand  and  machine  sewing,  drafting  and  making 
undergarments  and  shirt  waists,  embroidery,  use  of  pur- 
chast  patterns,  care  of  machines  and  household  decoration. 

Under  household  decoration  are  considered  the  finish- 
ing, decorating,  and  furnishing  of  the  home  from  the  stand- 
point of  clenliness,  durability,  suitability,  the  artistic,  and 
cost. 

The  topics  to  be  discust  under  the  hed  of  clothing  are 
elements  to  be  considerd  in  making  clothing,  form  and  size 
of  the  individual,  suitability  of  clothing  for  different  occa- 
sions, economy  in  cutting,  order  of  making,  care  of  clothing, 
cost  of  garments  and  planning  outfit  for  one  year  for  a cer- 
tain price. 

Course  III.  Household  Economy. — Organization  of  the 
house  and  its  adaptation  to  modern  conditions;  the  relation 
of  the  housekeeper  to  municipal  problems;  the  family  in- 
come and  its  expenditures;  true  and  false  economy;  house 
furnishing,  including  use  of  color,  design  and  textils;  the 
factors  essential  for  maintenance  of  a well-ordered  home. 

Course  IV.  Dressmaking . — This  course  includes  drafting 
and  making  shirt-waist  suits  or  simple  unlined  dresses  of 
washable  material,  and  making  of  a cloth  gown. 

The  following  topics  are  considered:  the  principles  of 
dressmaking;  the  taking  of  accurate  measurements;  making 
and  use  of  patterns;  choosing  and  economical  cutting  of 
materials;  and  the  making  of  gowns. 

Course  V.  Theory  of  Teaching  Household  Art. — This  course 
considers  the  relation  of  household  art  to  education,  the 
methods  of  teaching  it  in  various  kinds  of  schools,  the  plan- 
ning of  lessons  and  courses  of  study;  and  certain  problems 
of  equipment  and  cost. 

The  practical  work  consists  of  observation  and  practis 
teaching  in  the  Training  School  of  the  University. 

Course  VI.  Millinery.  — This  course  includes  the  construc- 
tion and  trimming  of  hats,  beginning  with  the  use  of  founda- 
tion material;  the  making  and  altering  of  wire  frames;  cover- 


Home  Economics  23 

in g and  completing  frames  in  various  ways;  encouraging 
the  renovation  and  use  of  old  material. 

The  subjects  to  be  discust  in  this  course  are  history, 
simplicity,  suitability  and  cost  of  hed  dress;  the  claims  of  the 
Audubon  Society. 

With  these  requird  courses  in  household  art  must  be 
taken  courses  in  teaching  process,  science  of  discourse, 
drawing,  psychology,  commercial  geografy,  general  meth- 
od, economics,  physiology,  history  of  education,  principles 
of  design,  principles  of  education,  school  management,  in- 
dustrial history  and  floriculture. 

The  household-art  courses  contemplate  and  seek  a close 
correlation  with  the  work  in  the  other  departments  of  the 
University. 

The  work  in  the  different  courses  offers  splendid  oppor- 
tunities for  connection  with  arithmetic,  nature-study,  botany, 
chemistry,  history  of  art,  physics  and  economics.  The  time 
required  for  these  studies  might  be  considerably  lessend  by 
a close  correlation — this  might  be  a possible  solution  to  the 
crowded  curriculums  that  are  so  much  deplored  at  the  pres- 
ent time. 

The  courses  as  outlined  are  intended  for  the  special 
teacher  of  household- art.  The  courses  I,  II,  and  III  are  con- 
templated for  general  grade  teachers. 


Plate  Y.  Manual  Arts  Bilding 


THE  ILLINOIS  STATE  NORMAL  UNIVERSITY 

Offers  superior  facilities  for  the  training  of  teachers.  Its  equip- 
ment includes: 

A library  of  21,000  volumes  and  14,600  pamflets. 

Physical,  chemical,  biological,  psychological,  and  geografical  lab- 
oratories supplied  with  new  apparatus. 

A school  garden  with  two  and  one-fourth  acres,  and  a well-stockt 
greenhouse. 

A new,  commodious  bilding  devoted  to  the  preparation  of  teachers 
in  manual  training,  art,  and  household  economy. 

A well-equipt  gymnasium. 

A campus  of  fifty-seven  acres,  with  every  advantage  for  athletic 
games. 

Its  faculty  includes  forty-one  teachers,  eleven  of  them  training 
teachers. 

. Four  regular  programs  of  study  are  provided. 

A two-year  program  for  graduates  of  superior  high  schools. 

A three-year  program  for  graduates  of  village  nigh  schools. 

A four-year  program  for  students  needing  longer  academic  prepa- 
ration. 

A four-year  teacher’s  college  course  leading  to  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor of  Education. 

The  regular  programs  all  include  a review  of  the  common 
branches,  music,  drawing,  five  terms  of  psychology  and  pedagogy, 
three  terms  of  practis  teaching,  and  such  advanced  courses  as  may 
be  needed. 

Electiv  substitutes  are  provided  for  students  preparing  for  pri- 
mary teaching,  and  other  specific  work. 

Special  programs  are  also  provided  each  two  years  in  length  in 
art,  manual  training,  household  art,  and  household  science.  These 
are  open  to  high-school  graduates  or  other  students  of  equal  prepara- 
tion. 

The  spring  term  begins  March  21. 

The  first  summer  term  begins  June  13. 

The  second  summer  term  begins  July  26. 

For  catalogs  and  announcements  write  to 

David  Felmley,  President 

Normal,  111. 


Illinois 

State 

Reformatory 

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